NBC’S SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT KATE SNOW HAS GOT
THAT STORY.
THAT STORY. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. >> THIS PROGRAM AT THE
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF
PHILADELPHIA LOOKS BEYOND JUST
HELPING A PATIENT BEAT CANCER.
IT LOOKS TO THEIR FUTURE.
THEY’RE TRYING TO HELP BOTH
GIRLS AND BOYS, BUT A RECENT
BREAKTHROUGH SPECIFIC TO BOYS
WHO HAVEN’T HIT PUBERTY YET
COULD HELP TODAY’S CANCER
SURVIVORS BECOME TOMORROW’S
FATHERS.
FATHERS. >> SAM HORNACLE WAS DEALT A
TOUGH HAND EARLY IN LIFE.
AT THE ABLE OF 2 DOCTORS
DISCOVERED CANCER.
DISCOVERED CANCER. >> HE HAD CANCER THAT STARTED IN
THE PROSTATE AND HAD NOWHERE
ELSE TO GO.
IT WAS A FAST GROWING TUMOR, AND
IT WENT UP AND BALLOONED OUT
INTO HIS BLADDER.
BY THE TIME HE WAS DIAGNOSED HE
WAS 2 YEARS, 3 MONTHS OLD, AND
IT WAS THE SIZE OF A GRAPEFRUIT.
>> THE SAME DAY SAM’S FAMILY
RECEIVED THIS DEVASTATING NEWS
DR. JILL GINSBURG CAME TO SEE
THEM.
THEM. >> SHE BASICALLY SAID THAT THE
TREATMENT THAT SAM’S GOING TO
UNDERGO HE MOST LIKELY WILL NOT
BE ABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN WHEN
HE’S OLDER.
HE’S OLDER. THAT DIDN’T REALLY SEEM LIKE A
BIG DEAL TO ME AT THE TIME, BUT
WHAT SEEMED TO BE A BIG DEAL WAS
THAT JILL WAS LOOKING TO MY
SON’S FUTURE, AND AFTER A
DIAGNOSIS THAT WE GOT EARLIER
THAT DAY WE THOUGHT WOW, THERE’S
HOPE HE’S GOING TO MAKE IT
THROUGH THIS.
THROUGH THIS. >> SHE’S TALKING ABOUT HIM IN
THE WAY FUTURE.
HE’S 2 YEARS OLD.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> THE STUDY WAS BORN OUT OF
SUCCESS IN FIGHTING CHILDHOOD
CANCER.
CANCER. THE CURE RATE IS NOW AS HIGH AS
85% WHEN CHEMOTHERAPY IS USED,
BUT IN BOYS THAT CHEMO, WHILE
LAF SAVING
LAF SAVING LIFE SAVING CAN DESTROY CELLS
THAT WILL LATER PRODUCE SPERM.
>> IN YOUNGER CASES, THE BOYS
WHO HAVEN’T GONE THROUGH
PUBERTY, THEY’RE NOT MAKING
MATURE SPERM TO BE ABLE TO BE
SAVED.
SAVED. >> TEN YEARS AGO THEY BEGAN
ASKING FAMILIES OF BOYS IF THEY
WOULD VOLUNTEER FOR A STUDY.
>> WE STARTED DOING RESEARCH AND
FOUND THAT IN ANIMAL MODELS
THEY’RE ABLE TO RESTORE
FERTILITY USING FROZEN
TESTICULAR TISSUE, AND SO WE
WANTED TO SORT OF SEE IF WE
COULD TRANSLATE THAT TO HUMANS.
>> HERE’S HOW IT WORKS, WHILE
THE PATIENT IS SEDATED FOR
ANOTHER PROCEDURE, DOCTORS
REMOVE A TINY BIT OF TESTICULAR
TISSUE.
TISSUE. THEY SEND SOME TO A LAB FOR
RESEARCH AND FREEZE THE REST
HOPING ONE DAY IN THE FUTURE
AFTER THE BOY IS CANCER FREE
THEY COULD REIMPLANT THAT TISSUE
AND PROMPT HIS BODY TO START
PRODUCING SPERM, BUT THAT TINY
SAMPLE DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH SPERM
STEM CELLS SO THEY NEEDED A WAY
TO MAKE MORE.
>> TO THINK ABOUT PUTTING IT
BACK INTO THE PATIENT TO RESTORE
THE SPERM WOULD TAKE MILLIONS
AND MILLIONS OF THESE CELLS, SO
THE ROADBLOCK TO DATE HAS ALWAYS
BEEN HOW TO EXPAND THESE SPERM
FORMING CELLS IN THE LAB.
AND THAT’S THE STEP WE THINK
WE’VE OVERCOME NOW.
>> THE BREAKTHROUGH CAME IN THIS
LAB HEADED BY DR. SANDRA RIAM.
>> WE TOOK THEM.
WE ISOLATE THEM.
THERE ARE LIKE 100 STEM CELLS IN
THERE.
THERE. >> AND HOW MANY COULD YOU MAKE?
>> WE MADE BILLIONS.
>> BILLIONS?
>> BILLIONS? >> I MEAN, WE CAN JUST GROW THEM
FOREVER AND EVER.
>> THE RESEARCHERS HAVE NOT
ATTEMPTED TO REINSERT A SAMPLE
OF BILLIONS OF SPERM PRODUCING
SUPER CELLS INTO AN ADULT MAN
YET, BUT THAT’S ONE PATH TO
FATHERHOOD.
FATHERHOOD. ANOTHER OPTION WOULD BE MATURING
THE CELLS IN A PETRI DISH AND
USING THE RESULTING SPERM FOR IN
VITRO FERTILIZATION.
VITRO FERTILIZATION. >> HOW FAR AWAY ARE WE FROM
REACHING THOSE MILESTONES AND
MAKING THIS A POSSIBILITY?
>> WITHIN TEN YEARS.
>> SO THAT’S FOR THE BOYS THAT
ARE YOUNG RIGHT NOW.
>> RIGHT NOW.
>> THAT’S HOPE FOR THEM.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> THAT INCLUDES SAM.
HE’S 12 AND NEARLY TEN YEARS
CANCER FREE.
CANCER FREE. RIGHT NOW HE’S BUSY PLAYING WITH
HIS BROTHERS, BUT HIS MOM CAN’T
HELP BUT LOOK TO THE FUTURE.
>> SOMEDAY HE’S GOING TO ASK ME,
CAN I HAVE KIDS OR I’M READY TO
DO THIS OR I’M READY TO TAKE
THESE STEPS, AND I CAN NOW LOOK
BACK AND SAY I’VE DONE ALL I CAN
TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE THAT FOR YOU.
>> TO HOPEFULLY MAKE THAT
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. >> YOU THINK YOU WANT TO HAVE
KIDS WHEN YOU’RE OLDER?
>> YES.
>> YES. YOU WANT TO BE A DAD?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> FOR THIS YOUNG CANCER
SURVIVOR, A SHOT AT A FAMILY OF
HIS OWN ONE DAY.
>> SO THIS BREAKTHROUGH IN THE
LAB FOCUSED ON REPRODUCTIVE
TISSUE FROM YOUNG BOYS, BUT
DR. GINSBURG AND HER COLLEAGUES
ARE ALSO TRYING TO HELP YOUNG
GIRLS WITH CANCER.
GIRLS HAVE MILLIONS OF EGGS WHEN
THEY’RE BORN SO THEY’RE SAVING A